White House Defends Jackson, Quotes Obama

Rear Adm. Ronny Jackson, President Trump's choice to be secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs, leaves a Senate office building Tuesday after meeting individually with some members of the committee... (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

(Newser)
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Hours after President Trump said he would understand if Veterans Affairs nominee Ronny Jackson bowed out, the administration made it clear it was going to continue supporting the White House physician—and even used Barack Obama to defend him. The White House released years of performance reviews, including one in which Obama said Jackson "continues to inspire confidence with the care he provides to me, my family, and my team," the Washington Post reports. A White House statement released after Trump met privately with Jackson following his remarks Tuesday said the doctor wouldn't be "railroaded" by false accusations, reports the New York Times.

But allegations of misconduct, including creating a hostile workplace and drinking on the job, continued to surface Tuesday, with sources telling CNN that an intoxicated Jackson banged on the hotel room door of a female employee during an overseas trip in 2015 until the Secret Service intervened. Jackson's confirmation hearing, originally set for Wednesday, was postponed after members of both parties expressed concern about Jackson's record. Sen. Jon Tester, the senior Democrat on the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, says credible reports have been received about Jackson being drunk during overseas trips. "He is the primary attendant of the president, the most powerful man in the world," Tester tells the Times. "You don't know when he is going to need you." (Read more Ronny Jackson stories.)